Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-09-15
ATTEMPTS TO RAISE STUMBLING
BLOCKS.

The IairViqsprsr'S deg in-the-manger pol
icy of refusing its aid to the material adj
vaneement OF the community from which
it draws support, and suarling at everyone
who is enterprising enough to do so, is not
the best policy it could pursue. The REQ
IsTER for some time has been striving SIN
~gle-handed Il set on foot a project which
has long been acknowledged by all rs the
one thing that Wheeling needs to place
her upOn a basis Of real prosper
ity-to enable her to success
fully compete with her industrial neigh
bors. In this the REGIsTER has met with
the hearty cooperation Of every live man
in the city, ana it's efforts thus far have been
crowned with q success that goes far be-
yond it's expectations. In all this never q
word of encouragement or appreciation did
the H~teEigeHcer utter, although it dared not
openly oppose the project. Now it has
been forced to make some utterance on
the subject, and the pith Of that utterance
is simply an attempt to put stumbling
blocks in the way OF the enterprise. 1t
tells US that the field IS not open; that a
corporation is in possession of a charter for
the purpose Of bridging the Ohio at this
point, and that this would stand in the
way of the eonSummatiOn Of the scheme
by the city or any other agency" Then
it asks us to wait till the railroads them
selves build the bridge, which we have
been doing patiently for fifteen or sixteen
wears, while other manufacturing cities
have taken a long shoot ahead of US.
Then it says:
It will be remembered, however, that at
a recent meeting in Toledo the directors
of the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad
Company decided to complete their line to
Wheeling. This step was not taken until
parties interested in the road bad secured
possession of the bridge charter. 1t was
explained that the promoters OF the rail-
road had no desire to 90 ahead unless they
could make sure of getting into Wheeling,
and this required the construction OF the
bridge. Assurances were at that time
given to the business men Of Wheeling,
that the bridge was 10 be built and the
road completed. The assurances went
further than this and covered . bridge
open to all cOmers on equal terms. This
is all that could be accomplished II the
bridge were erected at the public cost. 1t
the bridge cannot be had without the city
building it, or contributing largely TO 1t,
then it will pay to do it that way.
In the first place the Wheeling and Lake
Erie is not in possession Of the bridge char
ter, although another e~Omp5ny-the
Wheeling and Harrisburg-is.
The Insurance" that the Wheeling and
Lake Erie, or any other company, would
build a bridge open TO all corners" bears
the stamp Of utter folly, or something
worse, on it's face. Every sensible person
knows that ii such company ~ere ever
to build a bridge il would b. for the
benefit Of that company alone.
Railroads are not Ia she habit oil
building bridges for the use OF their
competitors. In additiOn to this Wheeling
would have to stand a heavy share Of the
expense, in any event, and she much pre-
fers putting her money in a Union bridge,
of which all the roads that now avail a
means of getting to her can take advantage.
We are asked to rely on the promises OF
the railroads. Promises! Have not prom
ises without end been made to Wheeling:
And what have we to show for it to-day?
Not a sign of a bridge.
No railroad intends building such a
bridge, though they all would aid the
enterprise. This is , moral certainty
and as they will never get into
Wheeling without one tbs only
thing that remains for US to do Is to
build it for them. Aud Furthermore, 1t
should be a UNION bridge, not a monopoly,
the thing we are aiming to escape from,
not u bridge owned by any railroad; II
should be q bridge open to all railroads
that now, or may hereafter, wish to get
TO Wheeling, and should be owned eS-
clusively by the city and Ohio county.
And this is the sort of a bridge that it is
going to be.
flour neighbOr would try its hand at
aiding the enterprise instead Of c~Oniuring
MP crazy obstacles to throw in its way, our
neighbor would meet with much greater
success.